


Life as we don't know it

by Louvie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hate to Love, Inspired by The Walking Dead, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:36:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9355004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louvie/pseuds/Louvie
Summary: “I used to have a sister.” Harry says. Louis is surprised by the admission. Harry hasn’t opened up about himself before, usually it’s just Louis who does all the talking.“I used to have six siblings” Louis explained when Harry didn’t continue “but everyone except for Lottie and I didn’t make it into the police car, taking us to the evacuation place. I guess Zayn told his dad that we were alone and they had the room in his car so.” He shrugged as he finished speaking.“I’m sorry” Harry says, looking at him so sincerely. Louis looks back at him and replies “I’m sorry for you too” trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Harry looks so very lovely, all honest and wide-eyed.or the au in which louis tries to hate harry but fails and there is a zombie apocalypse making things complicated





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sugaminthair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugaminthair/gifts).



> Hiii! 
> 
> First of, this is a birthdaypresent to my superlovelyandwonderful best friend Elena. She loves angst and always gifts me with pretty Larry drawings so I thought I'd return the favour. I hope you'll like it!
> 
> The fic is inspired by the Walking Dead but no characters are included. The only thing you need to know is that walker means zombie.
> 
> Thanks to Nina, [ louisfuckingbeautiful ](http://louisfuckingbeautiful.tumblr.com/), for the lovely photoset and manip done exclusively for this fic and thanks to Ayla, [ tinytwinklinson ](http://tinytwinklinson.tumblr.com/), for doing a last minute spellchecking and betaing for me. Without you I'd never be able to pull this off.

Life as we don’t know it

**♡**

The thing that no one tells you about is the smell. Teachers might have mentioned it during history lessons. “Before perfume, can you imagine how people smelled?” or “before dental hygiene, can you imagine having a conversation with a person who has never brushed their teeth?” could’ve been questions they’d ask. And perhaps did you, reading this, tried to imagine. But your imaginings could not have been close to the truth.

Harry used to be fortunate enough to only imagine. It was a bit disgusting and he remembers so well how he, during one history lesson, thought “I’m glad I will never know”.

The world has changed and the people he loved will never come back. Or, at least, not as they once were. When he sleeps, his dreams are filled with memories of better times, making his adjustment to the new world even harder. It makes it easier for him to wake up in the morning, hoping to see his mother in the kitchen or a text from Gemma on his phone. But this doesn’t come without any conserveness. When a _walker_ attacks him, his reflexes aren’t as fast as they should be by now. 

So, what is a walker? They are called many things, zombies or the living dead. They are the remains of living people, referred to as walkers by the fact that they can’t run, just walk. No one really knows how the breakout happened, the news outlets were filled with conspiracy theories before they only broadcasted safe houses and evacuation centers. But the news stopped reporting a while ago, about the same time the modern society in itself stopped existing.

He has only one living relative left and they are managing okay, considering the circumstances. Matt, his cousin, has taken on the role of the leader ever since they had to escape from the safe house in Holmes Chapel. Harry will never forget the car ride, nor will he be able to forget the bite Matt’s girlfriend hid from them. After her turning, it became just the two of them. It’s fine, really. Perhaps a bit boring at times, but manageable. 

Ever since her death, Matt has insisted they never come in contact any other survivors they find. Harry is fine with it. It hurts, to care for people, only to see them die. But it hurts equally to hear screams of help and just… drive by.

Their daily problems are gas, food, and safe places to spend the night. Driving at nighttime isn’t an option. So, when they were driving with little gas left in the tank and saw an old supermarket, it felt natural, logical even, for them to stop. Both were hungry and tired. They had run out of supplies days ago. Still wary of the dangers that were lurking ahead, they decided to park about a kilometer away. 

Harry was armed with two revolvers and a knife. Matt had more weapons, using them to taking the lead and clearing the path. They had been driving for a while now, going from being surrounded by walkers to entering a barren wasteland. It was too soon to tell if the lack of civilization was good or bad news. 

As usual, Matt gets out of the car and walks to the old store first. The thought of food makes Harry’s stomach growl, earning him a backward glance from Matt. Sounds, as natural as they seem, can give them away. As they approach the supermarket, it’s easily visible that the glass doors are shattered. That is not an unusual sight, but the noises coming from within makes them stop. Matt signals for Harry to stop and goes inside. 

Harry counts to two minutes in his head before attempting to follow. Something covers his face, stopping him in his tracks and making him lose his sight, as a hand is placed over his mouth. A gun is pressed to his neck. “Drop your weapons now,” is whispered in his ear.

Harry’s first thought is Matt. He can hear several footsteps around him and mentally calculates that he is outnumbered. The revolvers drop down, making a thud noise. It’s not loud enough for Matt to hear but a lot of the footsteps continue into the supermarket. It sounds like four or five people. 

Harry gets pushed down on his knees and a blindfold is wrapped around his eyes. His wrists get tied together behind his back. “Be still,” the female voice commands and Harry doesn’t answer, just makes sure he is as still and compliant as he can be. His knife is in his boot and he tries to think back at all the action movies he’s seen, where the hero cuts of the rope with the knife they’ve hidden. It’s just important to calculate where his captor is, so he isn’t caught in the act. 

“Hey, everything okay over there?” A manly voice calls out, most likely at the entrance. 

“As okay as it can get, this one doesn’t speak at all,” the woman calls back, standing up from being crouched behind him to moving in front of him.

Speaking is silver but silence is golden, Harry has learned. Okay, Harry thinks. Time to put all the movie watching and videogames playing to the test. He moves his hands a bit to test the strength of the rope and see if there’s any reaction. The two _others_ speak but Harry pays them no mind. 

The next part is a blur. He remembers getting free, beating the female unconscious from behind (unfortunately not a skill succumbed from games), retrieving one of his guns and the man chasing him and entering the supermarket. 

Harry remembers clearly how the store being dimly lit, nighttime not providing much light from the windows and walking around the shelves. He remembers barely making two steps in before unknown voices are shouting from within. The lighting is nearly nonexistent and Harry must use this to his advantage. He crouches down and starts to slowly move forward on his hands and knees. He peeks into a room. The food section of the supermarket has been emptied out, but Harry still has hopes of finding some canned food once this is all over. 

Seeing in the poor lighting isn’t easy, but Harry makes it work, hiding behind what used to be a fruit display. As he starts to scan the area, he hears fast footsteps approaching his spot. He stays still. The sound stops before the person reaches him and he can hear the rustle of a body crouching. Looking up, he sees the back of a girl with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. Judging by her figure, she is undoubtedly young and something about her makes Harry’s heart hurt. What happens next is something he will never be able to explain, or forget, as he acted purely on instinct. 

Harry sneaks up on the girl slowly. The lights are flickering above him and his heart is beating. All thoughts of hunger and his own survival are gone and left is just a dying need to see Matt alive. To have them both alive, if possible. As he approaches the girl, he catches footsteps coming towards them. Harry places his hand on her mouth from behind and pulls her up to a standing position. She doesn’t fight him, surprising Harry. He feels her body starting to shake as she leans her back towards his chest. 

He hears the growl first and sees the body later. A walker. That’s the reason the girl didn’t react to him, probably didn’t want to attract more attention to them. The walker is slow in its pace but it’s a disturbing view. The girl moves even closer to him, shaking more and more with each step the walker takes. In a way, Harry is amazed by her open trust towards him. It takes him out of his trance and slowly, he maneuvers her so that she is behind him. She instantly puts her back against his. It’s a smart move, having eyes at all their surroundings. 

The… thing approaching them looks like a child, a girl, 14 years old at the most. He has never seen a walker this young. All of Harry’s morals are being put to the test and he’s unable to put his arm up to aim or even shoot the walker, leaving them an open target for this hungry child. The gun feels heavy in his hand but he accepts the weight. 

But every second Harry hesitates is a second more for the walker to approach them. His finger is slowly getting to the trigger and Harry’s inner calculations are failing. His safe is still on. Should he shoot or use his knife? Will he be able to? The child looks at them and grimaces, almost smiles, at the thought of food. 

And then she falls. Her body lands face down from an arrow to the back of her head. Behind her body stands a boy, dressed in a black tank top and dark-washed jeans. He looks like he’s around Matt’s age, with unruly brown hair, and the brightest blue eyes he’s ever seen. The crossbow he is holding is now aimed at Harry’s face and the boy looks properly pissed. 

“Let go of her,” the boy says firmly. “Or I’ll shoot you.”

This brings Harry back from whatever state he got into. Harry isn’t even holding the girl. She’s still behind him clutching his shirt. The boy is blocking the light. He brings the gun up and reminds himself that the safe is on as he puts his finger on the trigger. Harry hopes he won’t have to use it. 

“Where’s my cousin?” Harry rasps out. 

“I don’t give a fuck about your cousin. This place is filled with walkers and,” the boy pauses and spits out blood, but Harry is too out of it to care. They were ready to kill him just a few minutes ago and Matt might already be dead. 

“I don’t give a fuck about her. My finger is on the trigger and the safe is off. The choice is yours, if you wanna see who’s the quicker shot,” Harry interrupts. The boy looks ready to kill, but is looking at the girl’s face and not Harry’s. 

“The other one? He’s in the back. Don’t care if he’s alive.” 

“If I were you I’d hurry up and check if he’s alive. Perhaps he needs a hand or two?” Harry says calmly. The boy looks at him and debates the situation for a moment. After a few seconds, he nods and lowers his gun. 

“I love you Lotts, I’ll be back soon,” the boy says as he disappears, going back the same way he came from. He feels something wet on his back and comprehends that it’s tears. 

Realization hits him hard and he backs away from her. He looks down at the gun and then her, just now grasping that he threatened to kill her. Harry’s mind goes from focused to noiseless to chaos. He feels sick again and this time he’s sure he will throw up. 

He crouches down again but this time he puts his head in between his legs. It seems like they are safe for now as the girl, Lottie, sits down next to him. 

“I’m so, so, terrible sorry,” he chokes out. 

“I would do the same for my brother and I know he’d do more for me. I’m pretty sure I heard your cousin, scream about them taking you before,” she whispers in his ear. 

He takes his head out of his knees and just stares straight forwards, tears threatening to fall. “This is a fucked up situation but I would never, ever, kill you. I… I don’t know what…” 

He shakes his head, unable to face her - unable to fathom how she can be so calm and understanding towards a person who just threatened her life. He must have said it out loud because her quiet reply is fast. 

“I know you’d never kill me when you couldn’t kill…” They both look at the lifeless body and he is grateful for her compassion and understanding.

 

Later, he would find out that the boy is called Louis. Louis found Matt still alive along with the rest of his group. But unlike Lottie, Louis would have no understanding for Harry.

**♡**

Louis, Louis is seething.

It’s just, he and Lottie have been through so much together. He has been a part of her life since birth and now he is the only one she has left. They do their best to not talk about the past, mostly just in passing. Both he and Lottie are still hurting. 

What often break his heart is the light that has been dimmed in Lottie’s eyes. She was so young and innocent when the world changed and now, at just 17 years old, she’s had to grow up a lot quicker than most kids her age. Louis helped her train when they both realized she couldn’t always be with him. Lottie helped keep him sane, away from depression. In a way, they both helped each other. 

They had been alone for a long time. Almost unused to other humans except themselves when Amelia found them in a barn. Amelia, a beautiful, young woman with long brown hair that introduced them to her group. Soon it will be around a year since she found them. 

But, now is not the time to get sentimental. Louis glanced at the rearview mirror. So, they had needed a car. That explains why Jules is thrilled to be driving the new “arrivals” car behind him. The two “additions” were visible in the other car and if history repeats itself, they would most likely be added to their group. Ugh, he was starting to feel like the mean girl jealous of the new girl in school. But it wasn’t jealousy he was feeling, no, he was proper mad.

“Fuck I hate this,” he exclaims as he watches out of the window. “Why doesn’t anything ever go according to the plan?”

He sneaks another peek at the car behind them and sees Jules laughing. Louis tried to resist rolling his eyes, but failed. Jules is the son of Duke, a former officer or soldier and their unofficial leader. Duke has the leadership and survival skills necessary for managing their group while still being kind. Jules however, his mission in life is to impress his father, so Louis guesses that he hit the jackpot. Bringing home a car, a boy that looks like he can fight and … Whatever he will call the other one means that Jules is going to be a star in his father’s eyes tonight. 

“Lighten up Lou. I think they are both pretty cute,” Amelia says and laughs a bit after seeing Louis’ expression. 

“Shut up Amelia, I don’t want to hear it right now.” 

“Jealous, so soon?” Amelia jokes. Louis tries to glare at her but that just makes both Amelia and Lottie laugh at him. 

“There aren’t enough cute boys in our surroundings. It’s gonna be nice to have something to look at,” Amelia adds in-between laughing. Louis huffs and focuses on looking at the road 

“Who knows Lou, one of them might be into you!” Lottie says, only making Amelia laugh louder. Lottie is looking at Louis with mirth in her eyes and he knows that she is feeling the tension coming from him. In a weird way, she always loved seeing him mad, no matter the reason. He turns his head towards the back seat in surprise and glares at her. 

“How can you even joke about that?” he cries out. 

“Because Lou, we might die tonight, or tomorrow, or a month from now. The peaceful days are over.” Amelia starts to answer before Lottie does. “So, if we meet a boy that has curly hair and looks like your type, you should give it a go. You can’t really use Tinder out here to look for dick, can you?”

“But he threatened Lottie-, Amelia. I can’t forgive that.” Louis said in a warning tone. Lottie’s giggles fall silent and she looks out the window. Louis knows he ruined the mood but sorry, he is not really interested in talking about _them_.

“And we bound him, threatened him, and his brother.” Amelia corrected. Louis bites his bottom lip, a stupid habit he picked up from school so he doesn’t get in trouble for running his big mouth. There is so much anger in him and he doesn’t want to start a fight. It’s weird. The day started with them catching the curly one off guard and going into the store and ended with them all driving back to camp.

“He was shaking like a leaf.” Lottie says after a while. 

“What do you mean?” Amelia replies.

“He was shaking… He was so scared. I can’t explain it, but while you were acting all crazy, he looked so miserable, like he was going to cry.” She says slowly, like she is choosing her words carefully. 

“That doesn’t change anything.” Louis replies quickly and presses down the gas pedal harder. He sees Jules motioning at him in the rearview mirror but he can’t be arsed to care right now. 

“He cried. And kept repeating that he’s sorry. I forgave him and I told him that” 

“I don’t,“ Louis starts, but gets interrupted. 

“To be honest, I was more afraid of the walker. I didn’t think he would be able to kill a child and since I don’t have a gun…” she continued before giving him a look. Lottie wanted a gun of her own and Louis knew most of his reasons for denying it was selfish, it still felt wrong to hand a seventeen-year-old girl a gun. 

“Whatever,” he finally said. A heavy silence filled the car and when conversation started again Louis tuned them out. Lottie’s safety will always be his number one priority. He doesn’t give a fuck about what happened and why. He could only hope that the new “arrivals” weren’t here to stay. 

**♡**

Harry was sure Louis hated him. 

No matter what Harry was doing there would be a snarky comment from Louis. If he slept in, he was useless. If he woke up early, he was annoying. Harry would love to claim that it didn’t bother him _but it did._ He tried to act confident, like Louis’ words didn’t really get to him. Especially not in front of Matt.

Other than Louis, the rest of the group was better than they could’ve wished for. After the initial meeting, which was not something Harry liked to think about, everything was going well. The group was well established and welcoming. They had weapons, a decent food supply and now that Harry and Matt had joined, they had three cars and shelter. 

Or well, it wasn’t really a shelter. The group lived in an abandoned farm far away from the main roads and walkers. The houses were surrounded by a forest, hiding them from unwanted guests. There were two houses, a large white one known as the main house where everyone met up and the other, known as the red house, which was a bit smaller. Outside was also a small barn.

The main house has a large kitchen and a decent sized living room. The whole group would always meet in the kitchen or the living room and have meetings in the white house, while the red house consisted of mostly bedrooms. 

Harry and Matt had the fortune of getting to share a tiny room above the fireplace with an even smaller bed in the main house. It was always warm though, because the fireplace was always lit during the evenings. Mornings were colder, making him feel less weird waking up spooning his cousin. After all they’ve been through, it was a comforting feeling to always be close to each other.

An elderly lady with long gray hair called Claire lived with them in the main house. She immediately welcomed them into the group as soon as she found out that Harry had cooking experience and Matt had the physical ability to join the others when hunting. Harry felt drawn to her. In a way she reminded him of his own mother, with her calm tone and warm smile. 

But the world had changed and so had the people living in it. Trust issues were common. He’d often notice her wanting to share pieces of her life before the walkers, but stop abruptly. Harry didn’t press and she didn’t continue, often changing the subject to their future plans as a group or gossip about the other residents. He always had to promise not to tell Matty (but always did every night – it didn’t feel right to hold any secrets from him).

Oliver was the boy who had assisted Amelia in capturing Harry. At first, Harry didn’t recognize him. The boy standing in front of the supermarket had seemed like more of man but in front of him was a boy who was as old as him and filled with life. Claire had given them both a haircut and they had talked a little bit once, but Matt got to know him better. Oliver slept in the main house because he often had nightmares and his pained sounds could be heard at night.

Amelia shared a room with Oliver. She was 26 and acted older than her age. She often bragged about her active lifestyle before the walkers and took pride in her independence. Her humor was a bit dark and she was often more honest than necessary. Still, she was well liked and loyal. 

The red house had only two rooms. Louis and Lottie shared one bedroom, but had two separate beds. Same with the father and son duo Duke and Jules. They were never around, always in the woods hunting and killing walkers that might appear. Still, it seemed that Duke was the leader of the group and had the final decision in any argument. 

Louis and Lottie were like day and night. Lottie would always walk into the kitchen as soon as she woke up and loved to spend time with the rest of the group. She was always smiling and had a childish side that felt genuine. 

Louis had two sides, or so it appeared to Harry. According to anyone else he was all smiles and sunshine, talking loudly and waking Harry up on the days he tried to sleep in. He and Matt had only been there for a little over a week, but Louis made a clear point that he disliked them both. As soon as Harry entered the room, Louis would stop speaking and go out or say something rude. It bothered him at first but as the days went by they saw less and less of each other. 

He spent his days mostly with Claire, Lottie and whoever didn’t go with Duke and Jules. Walkers still made Harry feel uneasy, thinking about how they once were human always made him feel a bit sick. 

It was almost nighttime and they were all gathered in front of the fireplace. Claire was telling them stories, mostly to Lottie who was sitting next to her on the couch, about all the different places she visited. Louis, Amelia, and Jules sat on the ground in front of the fireplace, cleaning their weapons. The rest of them were just lounging around in the room. 

Harry was sitting next to Matty, who reeked of sweat. Matt had sat down and put his arm around him. Normally Harry would complain but after seeing the empty look on his face he just moved over to make more room for him. Harry was getting tired and was just about to fall asleep when Matt whispered “PlayStation,” in his ear. 

“No, Xbox,” Harry shook his head. This argument again. 

“Imagine Resident Evil,” came Matt’s reply. Um, no thanks, Harry thought.

“Imagine FIFA,” Harry said instead. He heard a sound, but looked around the room. He saw Louis looking at them and made a point in looking right into his eyes. When Louis noticed, he rolled his eyes and looked away. Ha. 

“Noooo, listen. I know you suck at FIFA, but Resident Evil and Left For Dead? Now that’s-.“

“Let’s all go to sleep,” Duke interrupted as he started standing up. “It’s getting late and we have a big day tomorrow.” 

The rest of the group groaned but complied and soon the living room was empty. 

**♡**

“… Wake up.”

Someone was poking him. Probably Matt. Harry opened one eye and saw Matt wide awake.

Harry glared at him. “What?” Matt didn’t even notice the glare, looking up at the roof instead.

“I have a theory.” Matt continued.

“So? This can’t wait until the morning?” Harry turned his head to properly look at his cousin.

“No, I feel like we don’t talk anymore with others around.”

Harry crossed his hands under his head and looked up at Matt. Matt changed so he was laying on his stomach, looking down on his own hands. Something bothered him and the uneasy feeling started coming back. 

“I don’t trust these people.” 

“You woke me up to say this?” Harry replied with disbelief in his voice. Why would Matt bother to wake him up to just say something they both already know? “Yes, because we’re in this together. You promised we’d always stick together.” “But we are?” “Are we?” Matt said slowly. Harry looked up to the roof. The small room was starting to close in on him. It’s true. These past few days they had started to see less and less of each other. 

“Something could happen to either one of us and the other might not know… The truth. It’s not really a secret that Louis dislikes you and the…” 

“Where are you going with this?” Harry interrupted. 

“I need to know that if I tell you it’s time to leave you will. You get easily attached and I get that this life feels nice and safe but it’s not.” 

Harry didn’t reply immediately, choosing his next words carefully. He was getting attached to this group and just thinking about it made his head hurt. Harry knows where Matt is coming from, knows why he is worried. 

“I’m getting too tired of watching over my shoulder all the time though...” he finally replies. “I know Harry.” Matt said after a yawn. They both fall quiet after that, both lost in their own thoughts. 

**♡**

The following day, Duke announced his plans for the group during breakfast. The walkers around their camp had increased and he wanted their search territory to expand. With the addition of Matt, Harry, and their car he was confident that the increased numbers of walkers roaming their camp wouldn’t be much of an issue. 

Matt knew Harry was cautious to killing walkers, because he still saw it as killing a person. For Matt, and a lot of the others, the emotional part was gone and the need for survival over won any moral or ethical reasoning. Harry was lucky, for the most part Matt took care of any threats surrounding them and since joining the group, nothing bad had happened. Yet, he guesses.

But now Harry must join the scavenging. The first time is uneventful and unsuccessful. He, Matt and Jules drove around searching for something, anything. Abandoned buildings, gas, weapons, food, clothes – you name it. Jules is disappointed but Harry is glad. It was a nice day and the three of them even bonded a bit. 

The following day is the total opposite. He, Matt, and Jules take one of the cars and after a long drive they find a residential area in the middle of nowhere. It’s filled with townhouses that give of a “Desperate Housewives” feeling and look untouched by any walkers. The houses are filled with items, anything from medicine to bullets. It looks like a ghost town and much different to towns taken over by walkers. 

The trio is thrilled to find that for some reason, clean water is available in every house. Electricity doesn’t, but they left early in the morning making sunlight stream in the necessary light. The houses are luxurious and it’s easy to tell that their owners were rich. 

When Harry scavenged the first house he found some expensive body scrub, unused razors and an endless range of male hair products. He isn’t ashamed to admit that he shed a few tears of joy when he showered in hot water. He was powerless to it. As the first drops of hot water touched his skin, along came a sense of normality he had forgotten. It felt as if this world was just a nightmare and he had finally come home. When he closes his eyes and feels all the dirt and grime wash away from his body... It feels as if his troubles and worries are washing away in the same pace as the water.

The shower ends far too quickly for his taste, but he was a greedy person. The others in the camp will probably want to shower as well. As he walks through the house, only bringing what’s useful, he can’t help but think of them all. Harry lingers in front of the portrait, hanging proudly in the living room. The previous owners were a family of four. A mother, a father, a daughter, and a son. Gemma. Mum. Dad. The aching in his heart nearly takes his breath away. He sees them everywhere. The longing for them is harder to ignore in a house built for a family.

Harry walks over to the car where Matt is already showered and freshly dressed in newfound clothing. He also found clothes, a bit too fashionable for the living standard but Harry couldn’t deny it. Dark washed jeans, a grey sweatshirt and a brown leather bomber jacket kinda thing. He pulled the damp hair back with a brightly colored headscarf, making Matt raise his eyebrow. 

“Look who came back from the dead, ha?” is his comment. It’s a joke, and Harry gives him a chuckle. Jules join them and for the first time in ages they travel back in a car smelling of body gel and with smiles. 

**♡**

“Correct me if I’m wrong. You lead me into a house and the first thing you do is show me where the closet is and then the bathroom. Is this your way of telling me I’m poorly dressed and unkempt?” 

Louis is standing in the bathroom, holding a fresh pair of towels and looking at the selection of grooming products. His new clothes are placed by the sink and the room is overwhelmingly large. He looks over at Harry, who’s standing in the doorway. The boy is too busy looking down on the floor, and is he blushing? A smirk is forming on his face before he can’t stop it. He didn’t mean to tease the lad but seeing him ashamed was worth it.

“I… Um, I didn’t mean it like that,” Harry starts to speak but Louis interrupts. 

“Oh? Then please tell me what you meant?” It comes out harsher than he intended. Even if Louis feelings are still hurt the “hate” thing is starting to drain his energy. That doesn’t mean that Louis trusts the boy. It’s just, Harry is making it very hard for him to stay angry.

“It’s… Well, I mean, yesterday we showered and it was the best feeling ever and I know we haven’t been on the best of terms so I thought I’d show you this as kinda a peace offering?” Harry responds, a bit to slow for Louis liking. It’s a nice gesture though and Louis isn’t a douchebag, He takes pity on the boy, with his rosy cheeks and eyes roaming around the room. 

“I know, I was just messing with you. Thanks.” Louis admitted. Harry’s eyes finally meet his and a small smile is starting to replace the frown. Louis smiles a bit too brightly back, the awkward situation making his drama skills act up.

“Okay, great. I’ll just leave you to it.” Harry answers and leaves the room. 

Now, that he is alone, Louis can look around the bathroom in awe without being watched. The room _is_ luxurious and pretty, and while inspecting the products they smell wonderful. A bit like Harry, to be honest, but that is just because the curly boy recently used them. Not that Louis spent enough time around him to know his smell, but still.

He showers, and it’s a religious experience. It’s been a while since he has been properly alone and he uses the time well. One of the things he used to love to do was singing in the shower. Louis recons Harry has probably left the house and proceeds to have a concert.

It’s nice, is the thing. Right now, everything is nice. They don’t have any problems or issues at hand and after finding these houses, things are falling into place. But Louis knows from experience that these things don’t last.

After he’s finished he takes a good look at the clothes he chose. They are simple. Black jeans along with a black t-shirt that has a big skull print with wings and a bit metal looking. Fits the world they live in now. He shaves and styles his fringe with some products he finds and picks one can of gel to take with him. It feels good to look in a mirror. A bit unusual to see a stylish version of himself looking back, but still good. 

Louis finds Harry in the living room. He tries to stay as quiet as he can and observes as Harry tries to get the vinyl player to work. No sound is coming from the player, probably because it lacks electricity. Louis walks over to him and sees a lot of albums splayed around the boy, lost in his own world. Pink Floyd, Joy Division, Beatles, and The Beach Boys are just a few.

“You know it needs electricity, right?” he says after a while, taking pity on the boy.

Harry looks up at him, a bit confused. “I know, but I still hoped,” he replies. Louis sits down next to him and starts to search for albums in the box next to Harry. Harry is still tinkering, or rather trying to, with the vinyl player. 

“Ah!” Louis exclaims suddenly. “The Script? Nice taste these people used to have.” 

“So, you like them?” Harry says next to him. Louis had momentarily forgotten about him, to wrapped up in memories. 

“Like them? More like love them. It was one of the first concerts I saw, in Manchester. Sunday, 8th of February in.. 2008? Or 2007? I don’t really remember.”

“Seriously? I was there too!” Harry excitedly replies. They look at each other and momentarily, the tension is gone. It’s gone for a good fifteen minutes, during which they find out they do have a lot in common, musically at least. Louis doesn’t reflect much on the feeling of talking to a boy, about his age, about common things. Music was a large part of his life and after their conversation is about to die out Louis finally says something he had almost forgotten. 

“In 2010 I actually auditioned to be on the X-factor. I made it to the TV auditions but I guess it wasn’t good enough for boot camp.” 

Harry looks at him for a while before recognition fills his eyes. “I remember,” he almost shouts. “I was there too! Didn’t you, oh I forgot what you sang.” 

Louis feels taken aback as he tentatively replies “Hey There Delilah,” Harry starts blabbering about the X-factor and apparently, he also auditioned. 

“I didn’t know you auditioned too, I’m sorry. I never watched it on TV. I guess it was disappointing.” Louis says when Harry has quieted down. 

“It’s okay. My mum was the only one who told me before that my singing was great so I didn’t really have high expectations.” Harry easily replies and that is the thing. Harry is an easygoing person and Louis believes that had they met during different circumstances they could’ve easily been best friends. However, the little bubble they created in the living room was that, just a bubble. 

The mood is ruined for Louis. He looks over at Harry and suddenly says “None of that matter anymore, does it?” before walking out of the house, leaving Harry alone in the living room. 

It’s odd. For a moment, it felt like life was normal, but it’s not. The feeling made all the tension leave his body but at the same time it was fake. And Louis, a former drama student and enthusiast, has learned to hate fakeness. 

**♡**

 

Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and soon they have spent two and a half months setting camp in different townhouses. The walkers approaching them are few and found before they can cause any harm. 

It’s a nice living situation, all things considered. The water is still available although they haven’t found a power generator. Their sleeping arrangements have changed, as everyone is welcome to their own townhouse if they want it. Matt and Harry still opted for sharing a house, just like Louis and Lottie and Jules and Duke. Harry thinks it might be September, or the beginning of October. The weather is getting chillier and he finds himself inside the houses often. He doesn’t go out into the forest with the others, opting for helping with food and other chores that can be found on the camp. It’s calm but uneventful. 

The other boys, along with Amelia, had been deep into the forest when the sudden hoard of walkers found them. Louis was the only one who had gotten badly hurt, his left leg had been twisted and bruised. The peace they had found in the townhouses was officially gone. Cars were loaded up with only the most important necessities before the walkers had a chance to attack. According to the Max and Duke they were severely outnumbered.

They have been traveling for a while in their caravan line, Harry driving a red truck between a white car in front of him and a black car behind him. Amelia sits in the front seat next to him, with Lottie in the backseat behind him. Louis is laying down with his head in her lap, injured leg on the seat next to them. Amelia and Louis fall asleep quickly enough once they got on the road, but what bothers him is Lottie. She’s too quiet. He can hear Amelia’s and Louis’ breathing, but Lottie isn’t making any sounds at all. He can see her in the mirror and she isn’t sleeping. 

They haven’t stopped for a while and he’s getting tired. Harry starts to hum a melody, not sure if he remembers it correctly. It’s an old Adele song, _Someone Like You._

“Can you please sing it?” Lottie says quietly. He stops humming, momentarily startled by her voice. 

“Only if you join me,” he says. 

It’s getting dark, making the song oddly fitting for the moment. They sing softly, careful not to wake up the sleepers. The group’s white car is ahead of them, the highway oddly empty. Harry puts his trust in Maxand continues to sing even when Lottie forgets the lyrics. 

“I didn’t know a hipster like you knew all the words to an Adele song,” she says when he’s finished, making him laugh.

“I never claimed to be a hipster, that was your brother’s idea. So, ask him,” he retorts. From the corner of his eye he sees Amelia smile while pretending to sleep. Seems like they woke one up. 

“Well, to him, everyone who isn’t into punk rock and skateboards are hipsters or tasteless. I’m both,” Lottie whispers with a small smile on her face. 

“Me too,” Amelia replies, unable to pretend to sleep any longer. She reaches forward, opening up the glove compartment and rifling through its contents. “I think this car used to belong to a girl,” as she continues rummaging through the glove compartment. “Because this car is filled with Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Sia, Akon and mixed records.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind listening to _Baby_ if you got that record,” Harry says. 

They decide to wake Louis up by singing the classic tune in their loudest voices. Louis whines loudly as he wakes, but both Amelia and Lottie are laughing so Harry continues to sing along with them, perhaps a little bit louder just to spite Louis. 

When they reached the middle part of _Love Me_ , having tormented Louis with the Justin Bieber record for five songs, Harry sees the car in front of them slow down. The headlights are turned off and the blinkers flick on once as a warning. Harry immediately imitates the same movements as Amelia quickly turns the music down. Louis tries to move, no longer laying down, but Lottie doesn’t allow him, instead she throws a blanket over the both of them. 

The group has developed different warning signals over time and this is the one for when they run into other people. 

As they continue to drive with their lights off, Harry and Amelia see people covered in black emerging from the woods farther up the road near a railway, all holding weapons. Their faces are covered, most likely for camouflage in the dark. 

The black car behind them has also slowed down, while still staying close to the group. Harry looks behind them. Jim is smoking a cigarette in the driver’s seat and Matty is next to him, most likely hiding a gun. He can’t see anyone in the white Ford, but he hopes they are fine. 

They see more and more people standing by the railway and the Ford stops. Harry stops his car and sees Jim stopping shortly after in his rearview mirror. After looking around quickly, they see that they are surrounded and severely outnumbered. Fuck. 

Harry hears movement from the backseat and sees in the mirror that Louis is shifting around under the blanket. Harry’s about to say something when he sees that the blanket has darkened around his feet, meaning that the bleeding has returned. Amelia doesn’t see it and harshly whispers: “Shut the fuck up unless you want us all to die.” Both Lottie and Louis tense up. 

The darkness has fallen now, making it hard to see, but it seems like Max and Jamie are walking out from their car with their hands above their heads. He leans forward, trying to get a better view. A man is walking directly to his window, pointing the gun at Lottie and looking at Harry.

“Get out of the vehicle,” a deep voice says. He is also covered from head to toe, leaving only his eyes uncovered. They don’t hold any emotion. “Hands and weapons in the air.”

Harry gets out, holding both his guns in his hands and is immediately pushed to his knees on the ground. His guns are taken and now one gun is pointed at his head. He hears Amelia get out of the car and is pushed to kneeling next to him. The brief feeling of timelessness in the car has left his body, leaving only emptiness in its place.

“Bow your heads down and don’t try any funny stuff,” the voice says.

It’s times like these his mind is conflicted. His survival instinct is telling him to just be silent and do whatever needs to be done, say whatever anyone wants to hear, stay alive. His other instincts are telling him that this is not only unfair, it’s also stupid. The world is taken over by the walking dead and here they are, humans threatening to kill other humans. 

His survival instinct usually wins, but it’s hard to not interfere when he hears Lottie’s side door being opened. Within seconds she’s next to Amelia, most likely doing her best not to cry. The third car is being emptied and within minutes they are all on their knees in front of the cars. Their captors seem to understand that Max and Jamie are the leaders of the group, leaving the rest of them quietly waiting for the outcome. Before a conclusion can be reached, their captors change guards. The guns leave their heads temporarily, only to return a second later, pushing their heads further down. 

Harry tries to pass some time counting their captors. There are three people behind them and three people in front of them. In the brief moment they changed guards, Harry saw that there were more of them still hiding and close to ten people around Max’s car. They don’t speak with each other, but Harry can tell they are way more organized than his group will ever be. If there even will be a group after this. 

He can hear Max screaming, but it’s hard hearing what is being said. Before he can properly eavesdrop, a seventh captor walks up to their group. 

“Have you searched their car?” a new, but calm voice says. He’s smoking a cigarette, coughing a bit. Harry can feel Amelia turn her head toward Lottie, but before she can do anything, the person standing behind her is pushing her head down. It’s clear to him that the voice belongs to the leader of the pack.

“No, but these two started acting up, so check,” the voice says. 

Harry’s heart starts to speed up, as he’s sure Amelia and Lottie are already done for. There’s movement coming from all cars, and he hears Max still shouting and feet moving from every direction. They are all tensed up and Harry notices that for once, Louis is dead silent. They all are.

The new man walks in front of them all, standing in the middle. Harry can’t see him, but he gets a very bad feeling from the leader. There is something about this man that makes him uncomfortable. 

“We don’t need to check the car, do we Lottie?”

_What?_

Harry feels his blood run cold, shivers running up his spine. This person clearly knows who Lottie and Louis are. He sees Amelia raise her head and he does the same. Lottie looks at the man as if she’s seen a ghost, and he just looks down at her. 

“Or was Louis really that easy to kill?” the man continues, laughing. 

Harry doesn’t know what surprises him more. The “Oh, fuck off,” he thinks he hears from Louis or the way Lottie runs up to the masked man and hugs him.

**♡**

“It’s a good thing you found us when you did” a female voice speaks. Louis blinks at her, head foggy from just waking up.

“It’s almost as if you knew we were here.” Zayn says from next to him and Louis looks over at him. He is stylish, his cheekbones still eye-catching and hair is flashy. The female leaves the room and it’s just the two of them left.

“I didn’t, we…” Louis chokes out but his coughing interrupts him. Zayn is frowning.

“You are acting as if you were bitten but we didn’t find any marks on your body.” He admits after a moment. Louis looks down on the covers. 

“I wasn’t bitten. My leg got fucked up when I tripped running away from those fuckers. So, you can search how much you want. You’re not gonna find anything.” Louis whispers, voice not coming out right.

Zayn’s frown deepens. “Your friends said you were feeling fine except for your leg. We used anaesthetized to put you to sleep and Melissa performed the operation. She said you’ll be fine in a couple of weeks. Your coughing can be due to an infection but Louis, this is not good.”

“It’s nothing, Z. I promise” Louis assured Zayn. “I’ve been feeling under the weather for a while but I didn’t want anyone to worry. My head feels like it’s burning up tho.”

“It’s just a fever from your infection.” Zayn informs him before standing up. “I’m gonna go get you something to eat and then you can sleep some more. We’ll talk when you feel better.”

**♡**

A week has passed since he first woke up in the Malik’s camp in an abandoned prison. Zayn and his father are the leaders and their camp consist of approximately 30 people. Most of them are men with only a handful of women and children. All in all, Louis likes it here. It’s different from their makeshift home in the townhouses, where they had the freedom to do as they pleased while still having the comfort and protection of each other. This camp is sterner, one could say. They have more access to resources and even a power generator but there is no real warmth among the population. 

As the days move on he sees less and less of his friends from his former camp and spends most of his days with Zayn. They didn’t really discuss the situation that had occurred. Louis and Lottie had been found by Zayn and his dad about a year ago. After spending a few days together, they split up with the promise of meeting again. No-one believed they truly would, but here they are.

It’s refreshing to see Zayn again, and see the functional environment they had created as well. There was a wall surrounding the camp, making sure no walkers or other humans could attack them. Most of the “population” contributed by taking turns watching the walls or scavenging for resources. If not, then there was crops to be looking after, chores inside and making food for the whole population. 

It made Louis feel useless and restless as he waited for his foot to heal, as well as a freeloader. He was unable to do anything except sit around in his and Lottie’s room or limp to the bathroom. So, it was a nice surprise when Harry joined him one afternoon. Louis had found out that he and Matt had already joined the patrol duty, not that he had particularly asked about him.

Harry is still wearing his brown leather jacket along with a white t-shirt when he sits down next to him. He’s sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall while reading a book. Louis is trying to ignore the tingling feeling from where their legs are touching. 

“How are you feeling?” Harry asks cautiously while looking at his face.

“I’m bored out of my mind honestly” Louis replies easily while closing the book. “Other than that, my leg is better. I’m still limping when I’m walking but yeah. What about you?” 

“I’m fine, a bit tired.” Harry says and Louis hums in agreement. They sit in silence for a while until Louis clears his throat. 

“Wanna go for a walk outside? Even if I’ll limp the whole time?” Louis asks, looking at Harry. “I feel like I’m gonna go crazy in here” he adds quickly.

“Sure” Harry says while giving Louis a big smile. The smile is so bright in contrast to the cold, prison environment. It makes Louis feel nice inside. 

After walking around for a bit, they settle down on the grass. Louis is eating a fresh apple while Harry is laying down watching the sky.

“How do you know Zayn?” Harry asks.

“It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll tell you the short version.” Louis says before settling down to a more comfortable position. “Him and his father helped us get out of the city, when the evacuation stations started to fall apart. Me and Lottie was trying to get a hold of our relatives and they were doing the same so we split up after a couple of days.” 

“So, you knew each other before the evacuation?” asks Harry in a curious voice.

“A bit yeah. We went to the same high school but it’s not as if we were friends.” Louis answers. “Why?” he questions, laying down next to Harry as he finished his apple. 

“I remember feeling so scared when we got pulled over and then as soon as they saw Lottie everything changed. It’s not really normal to run into people you know anymore, isn’t it? I got a bit curious.” Harry admits.

“I think his dad pitied us. I mean, everyone knew we were a large family and then it was just the two of us.” Louis tells him as he’s looking down on the grass.

“I used to have a sister.” Harry says. Louis is surprised by the admission. Harry hasn’t opened up about himself before, usually it’s just Louis who does all the talking.

“I used to have six siblings” Louis explained when Harry didn’t continue “but everyone except for Lottie and I didn’t make it into the police car, taking us to the evacuation place. I guess Zayn told his dad that we were alone and they had the room in his car so.” He shrugged as he finished speaking.

“I’m sorry” Harry says, looking at him so sincerely. Louis looks back at him and replies,

“I’m sorry for you too,” trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Harry looks so very lovely, all honest and wide-eyed. Harry is looking at him, or rather staring and if just one of them leans forward they could,

“Hey, have you eaten yet?” Matt asks, suddenly standing in front of them and they both shake their heads, the moment gone. Together they all go into the room where food is collectively served.

Louis can’t shake the uneasy feeling he gets whenever he moves around the prison. It’s filled with too many unknown faces and not all of them are friendly. 

The feeling disappears for a moment when he sees Harry smiling down at him, reminding him to move forwards in the line. Life is okay here, and for now it’s all he needs. 

**♡**

Harry has joined patrol duty with Matt the following day. He knows Matt has been itching for a chance to speak with him alone. They haven’t been able to properly talk since they left the townhouses. He looks over at his cousin as they are walking around the gates and thinks about what Louis said. When he and Matt left the evacuation centers they could’ve been described as two scared teenage boys. Now, they had both grown into the rolls of fighters in an apocalyptic world. Matt used to be described as cute but nowadays, the word didn’t feel fitting for him. 

They stopped at the checkpoint and made small talk, it was a nice day. Matt was tense next to him but Harry didn’t mention it. He kept making knock knock jokes and was in the middle of one of his best when Matt interrupted him.

“What’s going on with you and Louis?” he asks. 

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m at the best part of a joke,” Harry replies jokingly but Matt doesn’t smile back. 

“I’m serious. We haven’t had a chance to talk in private since we came here, and you are wasting the time with your stupid jokes!” Matt almost shouts at him and Harry takes a deep breath to calm himself down. 

“Don’t raise your voice at me,” Harry replies calmly. “It’s nothing. He’s fun. F-U-N. Not all macho angry alpha like you.” His voice raises a bit as he says the second part. He’s never been afraid of Matt but his attitude has started to piss Harry off a bit. 

“It’s not about being “alpha” or “macho”, it’s about being safe. You know I didn’t want to stay with those people the first time around and now we’re trapped in some prison, working as guards to get some food.” Matt sighed before continuing. “It’s about keeping us safe Harry.”

And Harry knows this. It’s what they agreed on. The promise to protect each other and keep them safe was what had roughened them up. Matt didn’t bond the same way he did, and he didn’t feel the need for other people the way Harry did. Perhaps he’s right. Logically, he knows they are disposable. But emotionally, he is starting to feel _something_ about Louis and he knows Louis is starting to feel _something_ about him. 

It feels like his mind and his heart is on two different scales and he’s trying to balance them both but he can’t. Not this time at least.

“I want us gone before sunrise tomorrow.” Matt says and it’s silent between them. He starts going into detail about how he secured their car, how they will leave and most importantly why. 

Harry sees a walker in the distance and watches as it slowly moves towards them. He is more perspective than Matt gives him credit for and already knows, he just knows so much it’s not even necessary for Matt to tell him everything in detail. But he does and Harry answers “okay” in short whispers for endorsement, eyes never leaving the walker. 

The sun starts to go down and they wait for the other guards to release them so they can go back to the prison. It’s a bittersweet feeling, one that is starting to become familiar to him now. As they eat in the cantina Louis and Zayn sit down next to them. Conversation flows easily between the four of them and Matt looks relaxed, most likely happy they are gonna be leaving soon. 

And the looks Louis keeps giving him? He ignores them, and the way his stomach twists as his heart is beating faster and faster.

**♡**

Louis wakes up with an uneasy feeling. He looks around, trying to find a reason for waking up but can’t see or hear anything. Still, the feeling won’t go away and he starts to slowly walk out of his and Lottie’s room. She’s sleeping peacefully in the bed next to him. 

He starts going in the direction of the bathroom but hears footsteps to the left. He turns and follows, as quickly as his injured leg allows. The person is walking forward, doing their best to stay quiet and not waking anybody up. It must be after midnight, Louis thinks as the strain on his leg is making it harder to walk. 

The person stops at the entrance door in the hallway. In the middle of the night it’s poorly lit but Louis can still make out the silhouette.

“Harry?” He whispers as the person doesn’t move. 

“Go back Louis,” Harry whispers to him, back still turned towards him. He pushes himself to walk the last steps until he is behind Harry. Harry turns and in his hands, he is holding a bag. “It’s filled with my clothes and stuff only. We didn’t take anything that didn’t belong to us.”

Louis eyes water and he doesn’t feel like a twenty-something. For the first time in a long while, he feels helpless. 

“There is nothing I can say or do to convince you to stay?” He says it like a question but he already knows the answer. Harry shakes his head and cups his cheek, brushing his thumb gently against Louis skin. Louis tries to ignore the burning of his blush and hopes Harry doesn’t feel it. “Is it me?” Louis adds and Harry left corner of his mouth turns upwards.

“No,” he says and drops his hand, turning around. A sudden desperate feeling takes over Louis’s whole body and he grips Harry’s arm, but the boy doesn’t turn around. He tugs until Harry is standing in front of him, looking at him with tired eyes. 

Louis leans on his tiptoes, steadying himself by holding on to Harry’s biceps. Harry puts his hands on his waist instinctively as Louis presses his mouth to his cheeks. First, he gives the left cheek a peck, then the right. He doesn’t know what he’s doing and his nerves are starting to kick in. _What is he doing?_ Is the only thought going around his mind. 

While Louis is experiencing a mini breakdown, Harry pulls him up on his tiptoes again and presses their lips together. The kiss is short, sweet, and before Louis mind can register what is happening, much less kiss back, Harry pulls away. 

His arms leave Louis and before he can turn around Louis tightens his hold on Harry’s biceps and presses their lips together again. Harry’s arms fly to his waist and this time they are both more active, it takes only a second or two before Harry is responding into Louis. Louis opens his mouth, inviting Harry’s tongue and Harry doesn’t waste any second. It feels heavenly and Louis doesn’t ever want it to stop. 

A car honks three times and Louis feels Harry retreating. Harry pecks him three times as a goodbye and simply holds him. 

“You’ll come back, right?” Louis whispers. He doesn’t let go of Harry and Harry doesn’t let go of him.

“If I don’t, will you come looking for me?” Harry whispers back.

“You said it’s not normal for people to meet up in this world, Styles. If you-” Louis says but gets interrupted by Harry, who let go of his waist.

“Well Louis, you’ve already done it once. I’m sure you can do it again.” He says cockily and Louis is surprised, to be honest. 

“As soon as my leg heals, I’m right behind you!” he replies quickly. 

“Can’t wait!” Harry shouts as he’s walking out the door and running towards the car.

 

 

And perhaps, months later, when Louis leg heals and the new camp becomes unstable, does Louis, Lottie and Amelia take one of the cars and drive away. And maybe, they do, after months in the wild, help a girl who happens to know of one curly haired boy with a brown leather jacket with his cousin. And perhaps is just that boy waiting for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii loves and thanks for making it down to here! Please leave a comment or kudos if you'd like! 
> 
> Don't be shy and say hi on [ tumblr! ](http://adidassquad.tumblr.com/)


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